Teenagers' Talk

Brenda Wilson, 17, is an apprentice.
She works in a hairdressing salon. She earns ?100 a week. She goes to church
on most Sundays, but her parents do not trust her when she goes with boys.
Brenda says:"Kids grow up much faster today. But my dad won't let me stay
out longer than 11 o'clock on a Saturday. It's ridiculous. I'm nearly eighteen.
He's still living in the past. I want to be treated like an adult."

Linda Gibbs, 16, is still going to school.
Her father is an export representative who works half of the year in the
Netherlands."But when he comes home, he starts criticizing me. Why won't
I eat pudding? Why can't I be quicker in the bathroom? Why can't I have
a tidy bedroom? I say, advice is all very well, but not several times a
day. The older I get, the more certain I become: I want to leave home as
soon as I can."

John Brodrick, 15, wants to leave school
before taking the examination. He is fed up with wearing the school uniform
with a silly little school cap. Quite often he does not return to school
after the midday dinner break and walks round town instead of going to
lessons. He says:"Some teachers treat me like dirt. They think I'm stupid and
tell me so day after day. Kids like me haven't got a chance in school.
We're just there to be shouted at. I want to get a job and then study in
evening classes where they treat you like human beings."

Paul Grey, 17, is unemployed. He is
a member of a group and plays drums. He does not get on well with his parents:Vivienne Davis, 16, is an assistant
in a big department store and spends every weekend at a sports club on
the outskirts of town. She is not a critical as the others and says:"They say I should do more to get good training. But I want to
be a musician. Dad wants me to go into the army. Mum is always complaining
about my hair style and my clothes. Why do they irritate her so much? Why
can't I have the freedom to dress as I like? I don't want to become a bank
manager after all!"

Vivienne Davis, 16, is an assistant
in a big department store and spends every weekend at a sports club on
the outskirts of town. She is not a critical as the others and says:"I say all this talk about the generation gap is a lot of nonsense.
The less we talk about it the better. It's bad to think about yourself
too much. There have always been quarrels between parents and their children
about when they should get home and what they should wear. But I can talk
to my mum and dad about everything. And I get a lot of advice from my granny,
too I don't mind that. She's seen a lot of life. I say, if you take the
right tone, you'll have no trouble with most parents. You can even get
some teachers to eat out of your hand. You see, politeness is so rare now,
it works wonders."